When Two Worlds Collide
by sakuraheartz
Summary: He started to open his eyes only to find himself staring at an angel eyeing him with her huge light-brown eyes, heavily lashed and faintly curious, sparkled with humor. He could have sworn he saw the wings behind her. AU and slightly OOC.
1. Chapter 1

**When Two World Collides  
**  
**Disclaimer**: Without GA, my life will be dull. And I mean it. Credits to Higuchi Tachibana-sensei.

**Inspired** by zZznoobwriterzZz's Photo Album.

**To:**  
Yunnie, Chi-chan, Lexie, Ann-chan, Puu-chan, Mumu-chan, Karrol-chan, Mi-chan,  
Nicky, Chrissy, Aria-chan, Lysia-chan, Janica-chan, Parisa-chan, Ai-chan,  
Bada-chan, Danica-chan, Sa-chan, Sara, and you.  
My Christmas Present for all of you. Enjoy :)

* * *

Natsume Hyuuga grabbed his Polaroid camera and walked towards his bedroom. Laid on the king-sized bed were his wife and daughter, sleeping peacefully despite the morning sunlight filtered in around the dark curtains.

He chuckled and took a picture of the mother and daughter. His wife, Mikan had her arm wrapped protectively around their three-year-old daughter. Nami Hyuuga was the spitting image of when Aoi, Natsume's sister, was young. Natsume just hoped that Nami would grow up less annoying than his sister.

Natsume leaned closer and took another picture of his daughter sucking her thumb. Her raven hair was disheveled but he knew, under her close eyelids, she had the most beautiful brown eyes he'd ever seen–well, aside from his wife that is. He had to admit, he was a doting father. He didn't regret his decision when he had decided that it was time to start a family.

For years, he had spent his life traveling to dangerous places as a freelance photographer. He fulfilled his passion by snapping pictures of volcano eruptions in the Costa Rica and the Solomon Islands, taking the pictures of the war in the Middle East and the poverty in Asia. He ignored his parents' wishes for him to be a businessman and his sister's warnings despite the life-threatening moments he had every single adventure he took. It took a while for his family to accept what he was doing and Natsume was grateful that they supported him –though he never showed it.

But his life changed when he was on an assignment to take the pictures of the "Sacred Alice Cave". The company he was working for had asked him to go to the Alice Village where rumors have it that there's a "beautiful" mystery behind the Alice Cave. And according to his supervisor, someone from the village had written the company a letter about the place. "It is a chance for this small village to get its name on the map," the letter states. At first, he groaned at the idea that he had to travel miles away from home to some unknown backwater village. He had never even heard of the place before but then he decided that he would go there after he had a nagging feeling that he should go. He never ignored his gut feelings for it was his key to survival.

According to the villagers, the Alice Cave was a mystery indeed. "When you've entered the deepest part of the cave, you will see clear white stones no bigger than a size of a pea," claimed one of the villagers. "If you take one of the stones and squeeze the stone with your feelings put into it, the stone will mysteriously turn into a colour which reflects your personality and remains that colour forever. We call them the Alice Stone."

"And it is also a custom here in Alice Village that if you exchanged your Alice Stone with someone you love, it means you're proposing to that person and they will live happily ever after!" said a middle aged woman passionately. "I've been happily married to my husband for seventeen years and it's all thanks to the Alice stone."

Everyone was talking about the same thing wherever he went. Being cynical about love, he didn't believe in anything they said. But he went to the cave anyway and grabbed one of the crystal stones into his palm and squeezed it. He was astonished when the lucid crystal stone turned into a dark shade of red in a matter of seconds and then eventually the stone turned into a crimson stone. He then put the stone in his pocket before he took several pictures of the cave. He looked back at the cave as he walked carefully on the rocky path. "Walking in and out of the cave is a pain," he noted. He carefully balanced his body and stepped on a bigger rock to get to the main road. Natsume looked around him when he heard a growl sound. He frowned. It wasn't coming from his stomach, no. It sounded like…a bear. His body froze when he saw a small furry brown bear on his right. It might've been a cub but it's still a bear.

Before he could move, the bear ran its way to him. He remembered the stupid "Survival 101" the company forced him to read but he didn't know it would come in handy. 'I'll be damned,' he thought warily. 'When you encounter a live bear, you should lie down on the ground and pretend that you're dead…As if the instruction doesn't sound stupid enough.' He tried to move but his foot got stuck in between the rocks. So he protected his camera in his arms and then he purposely fell down onto the ground and hit his head in the process. He ignored the stinging pain on his head and mentally swore as he felt the blood trickling down his face. He felt that the bear was sniffing his body and he kept his eyes closed, praying that the bear wouldn't eat him alive on the spot.

During that short length of time, his mind wandered back to his family at home. He remembered how his family had wanted him to stay in Tokyo; not worrying about where he was or what danger he was in. He remembered the time after he was released from the terrorist kidnapping in the Middle East. He remembered how his mother put him on a house arrest and wouldn't let him go out at all. The whole family was pretty traumatized by the whole incident. But being the stubborn person he is, with much difficulty, he persuaded his mother that he would continue his job but as a "landscape" freelance photographer.

"Isn't it time for you start a family, Natsume?" his mother would ask. Truth to tell, he had thought about it lately, but he hadn't found the one person he would love to spend the rest of his life with. "You're already twenty five years old for goodness sake! Even Ruka is about to have his first baby. I want to be a grandmother before I turn old and frumpy! I want to enjoy spoiling my grandchildren!" Ever since his best friend married his inventing-crazy girlfriend, Imai Hotaru, Natsume's mother kept on pestering about him settling down and starting a family. Since he was their baby's godfather, he just couldn't afford dying there. Not when he knew that Imai would torture him even if he was six feet under.

Natsume started to feel dizzy from the rapid loss of blood when the bear left him, feeling weak and lethargic. He started to open his eyes only to find himself staring at an angel eyeing him with her huge light-brown eyes, heavily lashed and faintly curious, sparkled with humor. He could have sworn he saw the wings behind her. Before he knew it, he reached to cup the side of her face and said, "You're so beautiful."

The angel laughed and then she turned to her side and patted the bear beside her. "Well, I guess he's still alive. Good job, Mr. Bear." Natsume slowly lifted his head and looked at the bear beside the angel. It took him some time to realize that it was the same bear that was chasing him. He yelped away from the two and pointed his finger at the bear. He tried to form some coherent words into his mouth but none came. The angel looked at him confusingly and then she turned her focus on the bear beside her then her mouth formed and "O" shaped as if grasping the whole situation. "Mr. Bear is a friend. Don't worry; he's not as violent as the other bear though." Natsume narrowed his eyes on the bear and flinch. He thought that the bear was glaring at him behind the angel's back when she slipped one arm beneath his shoulders and attempted to help him up, but he dismisses the thought.

Together, slipping around a bit, they started forward. "We better get that ghastly wound cleaned," the angel said as she led him to the river nearby. He knew the wound on his forehead was superficial, but it hurt like the very devil. He gritted his teeth and vowed he would not humiliate himself by fainting. It annoyed him when he felt the strange, light-headed sensation he was experiencing and the angel's blabbering didn't help at all. 'So much for being an angel,' he thought as she talked about something he didn't care and wouldn't pay much attention to it.

Five minutes later, Natsume saw the riverbank under his half-lidded eyes. He breathed deeply, trying to stave off the darkness that threatened to cloud his brain. "Okay, let's get started." The angel sat beside her and asked him to lay his head on her lap so that it's easier for her to treat his wound. Natsume didn't want to argue so he closed his eyes and leaned his head back against her lap. "So as I was saying," she continued talking and he couldn't help but groaned mentally. "…Grandpa sends this letter to someone in the city and he said that it'll attract people to our dainty village. It was a decision that we, the whole villagers, made together. I guess the villagers were excited when they found out that people from all over the world might come here. But they didn't know the whole purpose of why grandpa sent the letter…"

Natsume could not hold out much longer. A great weariness was about to consume him but when he hinted the weariness in her voice, he couldn't help but have listened to her. "You see, since this village is cut from the outside world, we are bound to run out of resources and well, as you can see, there's not much development around as you can see." Natsume somehow grasped the whole situation as he was slipping down toward the waiting darkness. "What's more is that Alice Village is a beautiful village and it's a waste to not let the world see the beauty of the Mother Nature. And…" The hushed voice of the angel followed him deep into the shadows. For the first time in his life, he felt peaceful and let the fingers of the angel run soothingly through his thick raven hair, lulling him to sleep.

...to be continue...

* * *

This was supposed to be a one-shot but I just can't stop writing :p Credits too Lysia-chan aka Sinfully Innocent for editing this story. This fic will be a two-shot and let's just hope that it'll be finished before Christmas.

Btw, this might be out of the blue, but anyone can suggest me beautiful ballad songs? or any kind of songs that you're currently in love with? i dont mind if it is Korean, Japanese or any other languages :) Any SuJu fans over here? Forever 13!!

AND ONE LAST THING: GARC 2009 is already on! Vote for your favorite author!  
Visit Romantically Loveless's profile and start voting!


	2. Chapter 2

**When Two World Collides  
**  
**Disclaimer**: Without GA, my life will be dull. And I mean it. Credits to Higuchi Tachibana-sensei.

**Inspired** by zZznoobwriterzZz's Photo Album.

**Chapter 2**

When he woke up, he felt the soft bed under him, and so opened his eyes cautiously only to see the bamboo ceiling and some movement at the corner of his eye. "Ah, you're awake," the familiar voice said. He focused his eyes to the figure and saw the angel rush to his side. "You're in my house. The villagers helped me carry you here. You aren't exactly light you know?"

Natsume's mouth curled up in a small smile. She was so naïve and innocent and she was just bursting with energy and happiness. He couldn't remember ever meeting anyone so animated, or so lovely. It was her attitude, the way she moves and spoke, the way she smiled so easily made him interested in her. He was always very conscious of women and their motives; he had to be. Women gravitated towards him because of his connections and his good looks. True –being a freelance photographer wasn't exactly profiting, but he made a name for himself and he even received several awards for his achievements. He could have been a troll with the nastiest disposition and still women would try for his attention.

Natsume propped his arm as the angle helped him into a sitting position. He felt the numb feeling on his forehead and he unconsciously reached his head and feel that his head was bandaged. "I managed to make the bleeding stop." The angel gave him a glass of water, which he drank gratefully. "You've lost a lot of blood but the doctor said that you'll be fine in a few days time."

"Mikan…" That was when Natsume realized they weren't alone in the room. He darted his eyes and saw a frail old man lying on a bed across the room. The angle swiftly rushed to the old man's side and murmured something to him. 'So the angel's name is Mikan, huh?' he smirked.

All Natsume could do was lie there, his head spinning, his senses numbed out by the unexpected pain from his wound. When he moved to the side of the bed and tried to stand, he found it hard for him to balance his body and his vision was blurred, which didn't help. "You shouldn't get off the bed yet!" The angel grabbed his arm, breaking his fall to the floor.

"Toilet," he said throatily. He refrained himself from laughing when the angel turned red by his comment and replied with an understanding "Oh". Afterwards, they went to the kitchen when Natsume refused to go back to his bed. She helped him sat down on the stool before she went to the stove and made them lunch. The clacking of the pan and other kitchen sounds relaxed him. He noticed that when Mikan was around, he wasn't restless.

"Who was the old man?" Natsume asked. He grabbed the edge of the counter to balance his body.

"That was my grandpa," she replied.

"What happened to him?"

Mikan stopped and looked at him momentarily. "I honestly don't know," she shrugged. "He was fine one minute and then suddenly he collapsed during his usual morning walk. The doctor couldn't figure out what had happened to him either. They said it's just because he's old and he needs some rest."

"I see," he drawled again. He watched her smile and resumed her cooking.

It was a blur and without realizing, a week had gone by. During those times, Natsume continued to take pictures despite his injury. He took pictures of the villagers and the beauty in the Alice Village, which he knew would attract the visitors. And there was also Mikan. She acted as his guide, showing places and introducing him to the villagers. He knew the feelings he had for her. One week –that was the only time he needed to know that he loved her. As cheesy as it sounded, he knew she was the one for him. It also amazed him how it felt right whenever she was beside him. It just felt right. He knew he'd miss her when he went back to Tokyo since he got a deadline, but he'll be sure that he'll be back. Each moment spent with her was priceless and he wouldn't want to trade it for anything.

It was the second week he'd been in Alice Village and he knew he had to go back. But on the day of his departure, Mikan's grandfather was on his deathbed. Natsume had no choice but to delay his journey and pay one last respect to the old man. When he held the old man's hand in his own, the old man asked Natsume to take care of Mikan. "With my life, I will protect her," he promised. With a weak smile on his frail face, he inhaled once more before his hand went limp.

That night, he comforted Mikan as she cried for the loss of her only living relative. Natsume remembered that her parents had died when she was young leaving her to the care of her grandfather. Natsume was there for her because he felt her need his presence at such times. That night, she cried herself to sleep and he was there to comfort her. He stayed there with her, holding her hand and wiping the dry tears off her face. He then settled on a sitting position and rested his head on his arms, still holding her hand. It might have been a dream but he felt something. He was cramped and stiff from having spent the past several hours curled up in the large reading chair. The sound of the covers being tossed aside and the comfortable squeeze on his hand brought him awake the next morning. "How are you feeling?" Natsume asked her.

"Sore." She smiled faintly. "But otherwise quiet well, thank you."

"That's good to hear." He pushed himself briskly up from the chair and tried not to wince as his stiff legs nearly gave way beneath her.

"I'm sorry," Mikan said guiltily.

"For what?"

She avoided his gaze. "I know I made you promise to be here when I awoke, but I didn't mean that you had to sleep in that chair. I would've been satisfied so long as you remained somewhere in the house."

He glanced at the clock to see it was quarter to nine. He remembered the boat that was necessary to reach this village would depart at ten. It was the only transportation to enter the Alice Village as the village itself was a small island to the west of Japan. When he brought his gaze back to her; his heart pained at the depressing expression on her face, it made him think twice about going back.

He cursed under his breath and pulled her into his arms and hugged her tight. Mikan was startled at first but then she softened and wrapped her arms around his waist. "I'll be back," Natsume muttered near her ear. He could feel her nodding softly against his chest and then he released her. He picked his backpack and before he went out of the house, he kissed her on the forehead and left.

It was a month after that he was able to go back to the village. The once quite village was then the latest hotspot. After he handed the pictures to the company, they immediately started to promote the Alice Village to the public and it had been a hit. He saw the villagers happily mingle with the foreigners, and he noted the new developments such as new roads, built for people to travel back and forth from the village and Alice Cave. Then he walk to the familiar house at the end of the road and opened the door.

Natsume couldn't stop his heart from hammering. "Mikan?" he called out. Standing at the front door, he looked around the living room. Everything was just as he remembered it. Swallowing hard, he raised his voice and calls her name again. When the door from the kitchen flew opened, Natsume was sure that he saw an angel again.

Mikan halted and gasped at the sight of him standing tentatively at the door. Her mouth moved. Her voice wouldn't work. The silence grew thunderous between them. In the distance, Mikan heard a rooster crowing and the soft snort of horses. She blinked again. "You're here…" she finally found her voice.

Natsume nodded and stretched his fingers toward her, hoping that she missed him as much as he had missed her. In seconds, she was in his arms, pressing her body against his. She circled her arms around his shoulders as she nestled her face against the thick column of his neck. Without thinking, he put his arms around her, burying his face on the soft strands of her brunette hair. Natsume felt something inside of him ease. He gathered her close, seeking the warmth she offered. Neither moved for a long time.

"I missed you." Her breath tingled the side of his neck.

"I missed you too." Natsume released her and dug into his pocket for a moment, then grinned a little, unsure as he produced a dark red velvet box and handed it to her. His world spun to a halt as she carefully took the small box in her hand and looked at it, and then at him. Her eyes widened as she realized what it might be. "Open it. See if you like it…" And his heart started beating hard. Would Mikan like the rings? Was it too soon to spring them upon her? Was he wishing too much? He wondered as he watched her pry open the small gold latch and lift the lid.

Gasping, Mikan saw a plain gold band and a solitaire diamond set in gold filigree beside it. The two rings looked very old. Jerking her gaze to his, her lips parting, she could only stare into his hope-filled eyes. Clearing his throat, he took the box from her fingers and lifted the engagement ring from it. "Before I left Tokyo, my mother gave me these to take with me. This is the wedding set from my grandmother. It was a wedding gift for my mother but she never wore it. She told me she wanted me to have them and to give them to the woman I fell in love with." Natsume held up the engagement ring. "I know it maybe too soon, Mikan, but I wanted to let you know I am serious about you. About us. Marry me?"

"Why?" she asked baldly.

For the first time he looked baffled. "Why?"

"Yes, why?" She threw up her hands and began to pace back and forth in front of him. "It's still very well for you to say you want to marry me, but you must see that I have a right to know precisely why you wish to marry me."

"Hn," he drawled.

"Is it because you feel obligated to do so?" she shot him a glowering look. "Because if that is the case, I assure you, it is not necessary. Thanks to you, the Alice Village is no longer in any financial difficulties. I am independent and I don't need sympathy from anyone much less from you. Or maybe it's because of the promise you made with grandpa…that you feel compelled to take care of my every whim?"

"No, you're not," he agreed. "Apparently I have only one reason for marriage left, and it's not because I feel obliged to marry you because your grandfather told me to take care of you or whatever."

Mikan turned to face him and asked, "What is it then?"

Natsume stood in front of her and then he looked at her with such longing and tenderness in his eyes that made her heart throb heavily. "I love you," he said finally.

"Natsume." Tears started to form at the corner of her eyes and she covered her mouth with her hands.

"I sincerely hoped the feeling is mutual," he said. "'Cause I could have sworn I heard you say that you love me the night before I went back to Tokyo." He paused. "Or was it just a dream?"

"No." She unstuck herself from the ground and flew towards him. "No, it wasn't a dream." She threw her arms around him and hugged him with all of her strength. He hugged her back with equal passion and kissed the top of her head. He wasted no time in sliding the ring on her slender finger. It fit perfectly, as if it had been made for her. Glancing down at her, she leaned against him, her arms solidly around his waist as she looked up at him with such warmth and pride, causing his heart to burst.

Natsume was back from memory lane when his daughter murmured her favorite candy in her sleep. He smiled and then walked to their living room. Natsume brought Mikan back to Tokyo to meet his family after he proposed to her. His family was more than happy when they met her. Well, that was four years ago and she was pretty happy with her new life. Mikan and Hotaru had become fast friends and both seemed to greatly enjoy each other's company; you seldom saw one of them without the other.

Natsume walked towards the Christmas tree and sat in front of it. He put a string and taped it to the picture of his wife and daughter sleeping peacefully, and tied it to one of the leaves of the pine tree, watching the photo as it dangled freely in the air. He took the picture of his daughter sleeping and taped it to the present that he had bought for her Christmas present. He grinned –he was so sure Nami would love the present he had given her. Wrapped in a polka dotted paper, he set the small present aside and picked another larger box and taped the photo of his wife on top of it. Mikan had been asking him to buy her a blender since Nami had literally smashed the thing when she tried to make 'Howalon' shake. It was really an experience buying a kitchen appliance by himself; women were practically flirting and goggling over him even he was wearing a thick sweater and a khaki pants. By the time he went out of the store, he was offered to be a sales advertiser. He sighed, the only positive outcome that he had was the fact that he's given a fifty percent discount for everything that he had purchase. He could've laughed at the expression of shocked on the manager's face when he showed her the ring on his left finger. Oh well, for once, he was grateful for his good looks.

He was about to put the present under the tree when he felt the two small hands press against his eyes, blackening his vision. "Guess who?" the cute voice said behind him.

A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth, he grabbed the two hands and pulled his daughter to his lap and tickled her. Nami tried to pry her father's fingers from her stomach and let out a gurgle laugh. "Okay, okay, I lost!" Nami pouted at her father and punched him on his stomach, though they both know it wouldn't bring any effect to the latter. "Daddy is a meanie!"

Natsume chuckled kissed her on the forehead. "If I'm a meanie, then I wouldn't have bought you your Christmas present."

Nami's eyes widened and she immediately turned her head towards the Christmas tree, and when she saw the small present with her picture on it, she immediately scrambled to her feet and ran to the present excitedly. "Can I open it, daddy? Can I?" she asked pleadingly.

"We have to wait for your mother, first okay?" Natsume said and when he felt the gentle arm circle around his waist, he turned to his side and smiled at Mikan as she rested her head against his chest.  
"You can open the present now, Nami-chan," Mikan said and the couple laughed as they watched the toddler ripped the polka dots wrapper, revealing the Barbie doll that she had wanted for. She held it up, her eyes glistering with excitement. "What should you say now, Nami-chan?" Mikan asked her daughter.

Nami stood up and ran towards her parents and hugged Natsume on his legs. "Thank you, thank you, thank you, daddy! And you're not a meanie at all! You're the greatest daddy of them all!" Natsume patted her on the head and then she ran back to her doll and played with it.

"You know the doll will be naked and have lost its limbs before we know it." Smiling up at him, Mikan stared at his crimson eyes.

"I know, can't I spoil my daughter?" He wrapped his arm around her shoulder, leaning down, he kissed her smiling lips.

"Of course you can," she replied and saw the other present lying under the tree. "Is that mine?"

"Yes, it is."

"I sure hope it's the blender that I've been asking you to buy," she glared playfully at him.  
Natsume groaned. "Yes, it's the damn blender. The one that you've been nagging me to buy for three months straight."

"Good hubby." Mikan kissed him on the cheek.

"So…did I get anything?" he asked her expectantly. Truth be told, he didn't really need any presents for Christmas. To him, his wife and daughter were his Christmas presents for they made him a better person, a loving husband, and a great father. However, he couldn't deny that he secretly wanted another child. He loved his little princess, he really did, but he just wished he had a son to play basketball or the Playstation with.

Mikan only smiled at him and grabbed his wrist and placed his hand on her flat stomach. "Three weeks, Natsume. Subaru nii-san confirmed my pregnancy. Looks like we're expecting twins now. Maybe a little prince and a princess. Or maybe two handsome prince or two beautiful princess. That's my Christmas present for you Natsume."

Natsume was stunned for a moment. Here comes the endless diapers and sleepless night, he thought to himself. Then he looked at his daughter, who straightened Barbie's legs and bashed the doll and kicked the Ken doll. He'd done a great job raising their daughter didn't he? And they did say to be careful with what you wish for. For it may come true.

"I love you," he whispered fiercely to Mikan. "Forever…" Then Natsume gripped her and lifted her off her feet, slowly twirling her around, Mikan clung to him, her arms tight around him, her face pressed against his. Seeing his parents laughing happily, she ran to them and joined as Natsume lifted her up and twirl her around like he did with his wife. Their laughter mingled. It flowed around the room and filled it –the music of life. Of a love fulfilled. Of a dream come true –for all of them.

Merry Christmas.

...the end...

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This will be my last update for this year. I have no energy to update my other story. I'm tired with the drama here on FFN. I wont be updating until June 2010. Yeah, I know it's a long way to go but I'll be busy starting January. It's either you guys wait for me or I'm going to quit entirely. That's my choice. If you want to send me flames, go ahead. I wont lie that it'll hurt me emotionally. But whatever, I'm the author and I have the rights to do what I do. I'm being a bitch, yes. But I'm just tired. Go see my profile for more information. So anyway, I'll see you guys again next year. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.


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